


Plans towards Infinity

by LadyIrina



Series: Best laid plans [10]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Egos A+ parenting, Established Relationship, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, guess who is back, the man smut is, yondu deserved better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-02 00:27:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16294829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina
Summary: Peter Quill and Garthan Saal accepts a mission to save a little girl from her kidnappers, but what happens when Peter's father shows up?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! Not sure how many still want to read about these two, but after a long hibernation after the disappointment that was GotG2 the muses got to me and it is time for a final solo adventure! Hope to hear from you if you approve of this. Remember, feedback is how this canoe of a ship sails. And a special thanks to Gentrychild, who reminded me to get this done!

Peter hoisted his backpack and made his way through the crowd with a bounce in his every step.  
As much as he vehemently hated being separated from Garthan, there was always the reunion to look forward to!

When the Centurion had received the job offer, Saal had hesitated.  
Reorganizing and training a new army branch in Pelovia, an ally planet of Xandar, was something he was more than qualified for, but suddenly he found himself lacking confidence.

Starlord deserved a medal for encouraging Saal to accept the offer, but he could see his partner longing for civilization again.

The job was supposed to last nine weeks. It took almost thirteen.  
Peter had done a couple of small gigs with Rocket and Groot, but he'd dumped them with Drax the second he got the message to head for Pelovia.

Docking the Milano, Starlord had set a beeline towards the exit and kept scouting for the familiar figure.

"Peter Quill?" A voice called out.

Confused, Peter glanced around and found two guys in uniform looking at him. "Uh, present?"

The taller of the two made a weird salute. "Greetings, sir. I have a message for you."

"A message?"

"Centurion Saal regrets that he cannot make the meeting, sir," the soldier stated in a flat voice. "He sends his apologies and requests that you board the transport waiting for you outside. It will bring you to your temporary residence and he will be in touch as soon as affairs permits it."

It was absolutely ridiculous how disappointed Peter felt. How heavy the sinking feeling was inside his chest.  
The man couldn't even appear to explain in person? He couldn't find the time to meet Peter after months apart?

Old insecurities raised their heads and Starlord wondered if Garthan finally had grown tired of him and wanted back to his old ways.  
Gluing on a smile, Peter nodded to the soldiers and allowed them to guide him to the transport.

It was a big luxury version. Clearly Saal felt somewhat guilty for standing him up. Good.  
He opened the backdoor and got in while the two soldiers decided their work was done and wandered off. 

Inside the transport it was surprisingly roomy and even the floor looked expensive. Usually this would amuse Peter to no end, but now he merely placed his backpack on the seat next to him and glanced out the window to watch other people's happy reunions outside the docks.

That was when he heard a snicker. A very familiar snicker.  
Quickly turning to stare at the driver of the transport, Peter was stunned to see Garthan Saal laughing at him from behind the steering wheel.

It took a second or two for him to realize that it was really him and not some random driver, but then Starlord dove forward between the front seats to flail his hands at him. "Oh, you bastard!"

Fending off the swats in a half-hearted defense, Saal kept laughing. 

"You evil sadistic horrible spacemonkey!" Peter accused, semi-lodged between the seats.

"Got ya," the Centurion stated with no small amount of smugness.

Peter glared. "That wasn't funny!"

Saal didn't seem plagued by built, rather the opposite. "Honestly, Peter, did you really think I wouldn't show up? That's what you get for having so little faith in me. You should've smelled the con the second I wasn't inside to meet you at the docks!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know!" Peter whined. "Maybe you were up to your ears in important stuff!"

Giving a brief shake of his head, Saal made no effort to hide the affection in his eyes. "Nothing is more important than you."

A fierce burst of happiness ignited inside Peter's chest and he began struggling to drag himself forward to sit in the co-driver seat. "That's it. I need to grope you now."

Laughing, Saal helped him into the seat. "Flattered as I am, that will have to wait."

Peter launched himself onto him. "Nope."

-

Amidst laughter and kisses, Saal tried in vain to squirm away from the Ravager, but Peter was damn agile and there really wasn't too much room for him to maneuver in.  
Having spent so much time among civilized people, he was thrilled to be back with his partner. Pelovia was the kind of place where he would have thrived once upon a time, but now Saal had realized that what he'd seen as sophistication and good manners were now boring as hell in the long run.  
It felt so good to laugh again! You did not laugh out loud in high society and not among his fellow officers as every soldier knew that a good leader was a stern one...

"Peter!" Saal exclaimed when the man proceeded to squirm through his defense and awkwardly straddled him in the cramped space. "People are watching! Kind of exposed here!"  
Garthan Saal might be less civilized than before, but he still had a certain degree of modesty.

"So?" Peter said, ducking in to attach his lips to Saal's neck.

Mortified to feel himself react against his will, Saal realized his plan had backfired beyond his wildest dreams. Of course Peter would want to get back at him for the prank and putting himself in a corner made Saal easy prey for the Ravager.

And ravaged his neck was, as well as his mouth. Suddenly there were hands inside his shirt...  
Saal's hands shifted uneasily down Peter's arms as he realized there was no way of moving that did not include rubbing himself against the Terran and making things even harder to escape.  
Pun intended.  
Groaning when Peter rolled his hips against him, Saal reached up to cup his face and pull him into a kiss. "Fine. Okay. You win, Peter." He paused for a second, losing the ability to speak when the man rolled his hips again. "You win. I'm sorry. But please..."

Peter slowly pulled back with no small amount of reluctance. His eyes were bright with want and there was a slight flush to his face. "Your place had better not be far away, dude."

Exhaling with both relief and disappointment, Saal managed a slight shake of his head. "Not far."

Peter stole a final lingering kiss before sliding back into the co-driver seat in an awkward tangle of his own limbs. "Then drive, man. Drive!"

Saal did as ordered.

Would there ever come a time when they stopped hungering for each other? When the feelings wouldn't be as sharp and consuming?  
There was a time when Saal would have declared that as a given, but now... he wasn't too sure.  
Things were different since their first meeting and their first few months together, but some things remained very much the same.  
Like how they stumbled through the door to his apartment because they simply couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Saal pushed Peter's jacket off him and pulled the t-shirt off as well with little finesse, but he froze at the sight of the dark bruise coloring the Ravager's lower right ribs.

"Don't worry about it," Peter mumbled, moving to push Saal's jacket off as well. "I just got into a tiny brawl."

Allowing himself to be undressed, Saal sighed with fond resignation. "And this is why I can't leave you on your own, you daft idiot."

Peter opened the two first buttons on the Centurion's shirt, then ran out of patience and merely ripped it open. "Less talking, more action, big boy."

"Oi! That was an expensive shirt," Saal objected.

"So make me pay for it."

-

"Oh, I intend to," Saal promised. Well, threatened, really.  
He placed one hand carefully over the bruise, healing the injury, while placing the other behind Peter's neck to yank him into a kiss.

While kissing and allowing hands to reclaim old territories, the two somehow managed to make their way into the bedroom as well and onto the bed itself.  
They pulled at each others clothes until they were finally gone and all that was left was the feeling of warm skin against skin.

"I missed you," Saal breathed against Peter's neck and the Terran shuddered hard at both the sensation and the words.

Pawing at the now familiar build of Saal's shoulders, hoarding the taste and the scent of him, Peter made an embarrassing whimper when he felt those clever fingers where he wanted them the most.

"Alright?" Saal managed to ask, lips brushing by Starlord's ear and voice trembling with strain.

"Fuck yeah," Peter choked out, arching up against him.  
A couple of teasing touches from the other man told him that Saal was planning on drawing it out, but the Terran shook his head and yanked him down for a kiss. "Now."

"But you look so good like this." The smile on Saal's face was a mix of pure evil and sweet affection.

Shaking his head again, Peter leaned up to give a harsh bite at the soldier's neck. "Later. Next time."

It looked like Saal considered arguing, but then Peter started rolling his hips rhythmically against him and he caved in.  
For all his sadism and love for making Peter beg, there was no mistaking that he was every bit as turned on right now and eager to make up for lost time.

After the required preparation, according to Saal and not Peter, Peter was rearing to go the second they hit the bed, the Terran was finally rewarded with the unmistakable sensation of being filled.  
Clutching at Saal's shoulders, Peter exhaled as his body adjusted and soon was eager for more.  
He'd always thought that sticking to one partner would turn really boring really fast, but Peter had failed to take into consideration that said partner would learn his every sweet spot and how to touch them at the exact right time.

If he had any dignity left, Starlord would have been horrified at how quickly he was arching his back, legs wrapped tightly around the other man, whimpering with mindless delight.  
Luckily he wasn't concerned about minor things like playing dignified. This felt too good for that.

It was only five minutes later, after coming so hard he nearly blacked out and swearing he came again when he heard and felt Garthan's climax, that Peter was a sweaty, happy mess with a blissful soldier drowsing next to him.  
Rolling over on his stomach, Peter inched closer to Saal and rested his chin on the Centurion's chest. "Damn, I missed you!"

Saal chuckled. "You mean you missed shagging?"

"The fucking IS a bonus," Peter admitted with a leer that soon softened. "But, no... I missed 'you', you idiot."

"The feeling is mutual," Saal murmured and pulled him up and into a gentle chaste kiss. "On both accounts."

Peter couldn't help grinning. While Saal had most certainly had an effect on how Starlord now lived his life, it would seem like he'd managed to corrupt the white knight a bit too.  
"I'll remind you of saying that next time you complain about finding my socks in the kitchen sink!"

Saal groaned with a slight smile. "No matter how much I miss you when we're apart, socks in the kitchen sink was and will always be nasty, you beast."

"Prude," Peter shot back with a grin.  
It turned into a slight wrestle, then into something else and now Saal got to use all the time he wanted.

-

Packing didn't take long and Saal wasn't even sad to leave the apartment behind.  
Not that he hadn't enjoyed his stay there, but he was ready to move on. Ready to head out to the stars again with his partner by his side.  
They were heading for the Milano when a voice called out his name.

"Centurion Saal? Excuse me, Centurion Saal?"

Turning to face the direction of the voice, Saal saw a stranger trotting towards them.  
Peter carefully moved his hand over to hover by his gun.  
"Can I be of assistance?" Saal asked warily, slightly surprised to see the stranger, a man, in Xandarian garb.

The man halted in front of them and bowed. "Apologies for disturbing you, Centurion, but I'm desperate!"

Frowning, Saal exchanged a look with Peter before focusing on the man again. "I'm listening."

"My name is Geu. I'm a merchant on Xandar." He sent an anxious glance at Peter. "It's my daughter, Centurion. Some mercenaries kidnapped her from her school-ship and they're threatening to kill her!"

"Surely the Nova Corps will help you?" Saal said, puzzled as to why the man had approached him.

Geu shook his head frantically. "There is no time! They won't be able to get to the ship from Xandar within the time limit. Also, they said if I even try to message the Nova Corps, they will kill my daughter! I fear they are monitoring my communication lines." He took a step closer, desperation in his eyes. "A colleague of mine told me you were here. Please, Centurion Saal, she's just a little girl! She was coming here to celebrate her nameday!"

Saal merely had to glance over at Peter, who sent him a 'what are we waiting for?'-look, before giving Geu a firm nod. "Of course. Tell us what you know and we'll do what we can!"

The man told them the message he’d received from the kidnappers, the information about the ship the girl had been on and got Peter’s full attention when he promised them a huge reward if they could rescue his child from these horrid beings.  
Saal elbowed his partner in the gut when he tried to get Geu to specify in numbers how big of a reward he meant. He sent Peter a stern look before focusing on the other man again, ignoring the offended huff from the Terran. “We will bring your daughter back to you, sir.”

There really was no time to waste. Instead of boarding the Milano, Peter and Saal were redirected to Geu's ship, a massive cargo freighter, and given the coordinates to where they were to meet with the kidnappers.

“Well,” Peter said, as they sat in the cockpit, “I was kinda hoping we could have a couple of days to ourselves, but, hey, this is what it means to be Heroes!”

Saal managed a discrete eye roll as he leaned forward to flip a switch. “Doing a decent deed hardly qualifies us as heroes, Peter.”

Peter gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. “Dude! We're saving an innocent child from the clutches of some very bad guys. I'd say that qualifies us as pretty damn big heroes.”

“Not really.” Saal glanced over at him with a slight smile. “You're getting paid for it. A hero would do it for free.”

Peter sank a little further into his seat, shrugging with a grumpy sulk on his face. “I just don't get why being a hero has to line up with being broke. Who decided on that fact?”

Saal fought valiantly against a smile. “You wouldn't be broke if you didn't spend everything at once.” 

“It's not my fault everything is so damn expensive.”

“It's not. You just can't prioritize.”

Peter made a face, but couldn't quite counter that argument. Although, he thought that jelly-shooting gun he bought some months back was worth every unit!

Saal leaned back into the seat once the ship was out of atmo and was on course. “Should be there within 30 Earth hours. Want to discuss strategy?”

Peter seemed to consider it. Then he shook his head. “No.”

“No? We should have some kind of plan instead of just recklessly rush in.”

“Of course we're going to need a plan,” Peter said, unbuckling and getting out of his seat.

Saal was about to ask him what the problem was, but the Terran merely marched over to straddle him and drew him into a lazy kiss. At that moment, Garthan knew he'd lost. “Ok, plan later.”

“Excellent.” Peter smiled against his lips, rolling his hips and savoring the hitch in the Centurion's breath.  
After all, while theoretically this mission shouldn't present too much of a problem to them, they were going into battle and they still had a lot of catching up to do from their separation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescue mission

The plan had later been laid (so had Peter, again), weapons and equipment had been prepared, they had shared a meal and then it was time to rest before the big meeting.

While Peter had always loved to bring souls to his bed, ever since his abduction from Earth he hadn't really been able to just sleep next to someone. Rest, sure. Drowse, occasionally. But sleep? Rarely.  
But that had changed. Now Peter was attached to Saal like a bad rash and snoring softly against the Centurion's stomach, when the timer started beeping.

Peter gave an annoyed grunt at the sound, pressing his face to Garthan's stomach, his stubbles poking at the tender skin, and was faintly amused by the way the man made a complaining sound and shoved him away with a palm to his head.  
Managing to sit up, Peter yawned and stretched. He turned off the timer. Time to save the day.  
He was a little surprised when Saal merely curled up on his side, his back towards Peter, and clutched his pillow tighter. “Hey, big boy. Rise and shine!”

“Fuck off,” Saal mumbled, not opening his eyes or otherwise moving.

Once the surprise eased, Peter felt a smile of pure evil slide across his face. He cleared his throat and leaned a little closer to hover over Garthan. “You tired?”

Saal sighed and it took several seconds before he answered, still with eyes closed and every intention of falling back to sleep. “Yes.” He burrowed deeper into his pillow. “Sod off.”

Peter had to bite his lip to prevent himself from laughing. “So, uh... Should I just rescue this kid alone then?” He shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, I can. It's no problem. I just thought...” 

Saal bolted up into a sitting position. He looked a little confused, but then his eyes narrowed and he sent Peter a glare filled with pure blame. “Next time, we're sleeping in separate quarters.”

Gasping with mock offense, Peter sent him his most hurt look. “Why would you say something so cruel?”

“Because we were supposed to be resting, not shag the entire night.” Saal got out of bed, drawing his hands through his hair with a groan as he straightened and his back crackled its complaints.

Peter was enjoying the view, who would have thought they'd finally get to the point where Garthan would be comfortable standing around naked like that, as well as enjoying the memories of the night before. “I can't remember you complaining.” He grinned widely.  
It was a lie. There had been one time, second to last, when an exhausted Garthan had exhaled a whine as Peter started kissing his way down his stomach, but it was only a brief thing before he'd been making some very different sounds. 

“I'm complaining now.” Saal sent him a narrow look. “We're supposed to be on a mission, Grand Starlord.”

Peter shrugged again, now a little petulant, and he lowered his gaze to the bed. “Missed you. That's all.”

He didn't hear the Centurion move, but suddenly there was a light grip on his chin and Saal lifted Peter's face to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I missed you too. As you may have noticed.”

That brought the smile back on Peter's face and the soft look in Garthan's eyes brought all sorts of fuzzy feelings in his chest. “Good.”

To be fair, maybe it hadn't been one of Peter's best ideas to go for an orgasm marathon the night before going into a fight, but it was just so difficult to stop once he'd gotten started, and the sounds Garthan made would have caused a monk to break his promises! He lingered on the memory of a messy haired, sweaty Saal hovering over him in bed, propping himself up on trembling arms and catching his breath, stating he doubted he could and an equally sweaty and breathless Peter grinning and moving with slow, rolling, teasing movements under him until he could. What round was that? Four?

“Anyway, a shower and then we're going to go over the plan again.” Saal released him and turned to walk away.

“Can I join you?”

Garthan hesitated.

“Pretty please?”

Glancing back at him, Saal smirked. And held out his hand.

Peter did not hesitate.

-

The blackmailers ship was exactly where it was supposed to be. Good. That was one less thing to worry about. Only five thousand possible problems left.

“If you keep worrying like that, you're going to get all wrinkly,” Peter said.  
The two were armed to the teeth, standing by the door and waiting for the tunnel between the two ships to connect.

“One of us has to worry,” Saal countered absently.

“I worry!”

“Worrying if there's going to be any spicy noodles left by the time we return to the other Guardians is not a valid worry.”

Peter snorted with offense and shifted his weight at the hissing sound as the air pressure stabilized between the ships. “You know Gamora has been dying to get her greedy mittens on my noodles.”

“So we'll buy new ones.” Saal pulled his blasters out of their holsters and got into position as he saw shapes enter the tunnel.

“It's the principle of the ting,” Peter countered, lining up against the wall next to the door, ready with blasters as well.

It was pretty obvious that the kidnappers had not counted on any resistance. That meant they quite possibly had monitored Geu's communications and the ships coming and leaving Xandar. Unfortunately for them, Peter and Saal had a problem with scumbags kidnapping children.  
Once the door opened, it was laughably easy to take down the three humanoid creatures there. On the other ship, there was four more, but they were quite content to be herded and locked inside a small room.  
“This was easy!” Peter exclaimed once the door had locked and he scratched his neck with his blaster.

Saal frowned. “Yes. Yes, it was.”

“Enough with the worrying! Dude! Seriously!”

“Mhm...” Saal replied absently, holstering one blaster but keeping the other ready. “Let's find the girl.”

They began a search room by room. By the time they were halfway through the ship, Peter was starting to share some of Garthan's unease. There were a whole lot more rooms and guns than there were crew. Why had there been so little resistance?  
Before he could voice his concerns, Saal's voice called out for him. “Peter. Over here.”

Starlord instantly spun around and exited the room he'd been in and headed in the direction of the call, blaster drawn and ready. Entering the room, he was ready for anything, except Saal staring down at a young girl glaring back up at him.  
Peter blinked a couple of times, then holstered the blaster and tried for a nonchalant voice. “I'm guessing this is Guida?” 

“Correct.” Saal replied, his voice clipped and cold.

The girl, about five or six years if Peter was forced to guess, shifted an equally cool gaze to Starlord. “My father sent two morons?” She was a small thing, dark hair and dark eyes, snow-white skin, like a freaking vampire.  
“Yeah.” Peter glued on his most charming smile. “You're safe now.”

Guida measured him from top to toe and scoffed. “I'm not convinced.”

Saal finally managed to tear his eyes off the girl and focused on Peter as well. “Could you please inform... her, that we need to leave right now? I'm thinking there is a second crew who could return to this ship at any moment and we need to leave before that happens.”

Guida rolled her eyes. “And you can tell this idiot here, that I'm not deaf 'or' stupid.”

-

When Saal had opened the door and seen the little girl; he'd been relieved. She seemed unharmed and it would be an easy thing to get her back to their ship and then deliver her to her father. That notion lasted until he did the mistake of talking to her. “My name is Centurion Saal. Your father sent me to bring you back to him.”

“You?” She said with obvious disdain at his appearance. “My father sent you? I find that hard to believe.” Clearly Xandarian upper class to the fingertips. “I'm wondering if staying with these thugs might not be the better option than going with you.”

Fine, he had scars, but damn if Saal's parents hadn't raised him to always show respect for his elders. “We have to leave this ship right now, miss.”

“I haven't decided yet. And you can't make me, old man.”

That's when Garthan decided to call for Peter to deal with this little monster and luckily it turned out that while she was a snob and took some convincing, she was not immune to Peter Jason Quill's charms and he was eventually able to persuade Her Highness to abandon her chambers and join them.

Once back on Geu's ship, they detached from the other transport and set the course back to where Guida's father would be waiting.   
“There is a room prepared for you if you'd like to rest for a bit.” Saal gestured to a door as they'd entered the corridor eventually leading to the cockpit.

Guida scoffed. “That's boring! I'm bored!”

Saal blinked and waited while his brain rebooted from its crash at her tone. 

“You can't expect him to understand that,” Peter shot in. He crouched down and sent her a conspiratory look. “He thinks boring is fun.”

That made the girl laugh and Saal shift his sour look from her to the Terran.  
Peter had the audacity to wink at him. Only years of discipline learned in the ranks of the Nova Corps enabled Garthan to keep from giving a crude gesture in return.

Clearly picked up on that, Peter let out a smug laugh. “Tell you what, Guida, how about you and me go check out my jelly gun!”

For some bizarre reason, that really seemed to appeal to the girl and the two set off. In the silence that followed, Saal didn't move for several long seconds had passed, but finally turned on his heel and marched to the cockpit.  
How was it possible for a Xandarian to have such a rude child? What kind of upbringing had Guida gotten? If he'd acted like that, his parents would have been mortified! 

He spent several hours in the cockpit, staring out at the stars, enjoying his peace and quiet while Peter entertained the impertinent child. Clearly they were more on the same level. Fine.  
When the Terran finally poked his head into the cockpit, he was all smiles. “Hey, here you are. Me and Guida were thinking about throwing together some food. You hungry?”

“Sure.”

Peter stepped inside to lean against the co-pilot seat and look down at where Saal was sitting. “Come on, big boy, what's on your mind?”

Saal pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I'm thinking... “

“About?”

“If we should just leave her on an asteroid and give her father the coordinates for him to pick up his spawn.” 

Peter actually laughed out loud. “Garthan Saal! I can't believe what I'm hearing! Abandon a defenseless child?”

“Defenseless? I'm fairly certain the crew missing on that other ship simply left to get away from her.” Saal straightened in his chair, clearing his throat as a flicker of shame came over him. “I didn't... That was just a joke.”  
Which it was.   
Until they were all eating together, a meal she and Peter had conjured up, and she used every opportunity to suck up to Peter and take verbal jabs at Saal. Especially after he refused her dessert until she had finished the main meal.

Garthan seriously considered if the units were worth it. He'd freed Guida from her kidnappers because it was the right thing to do, not for the payment, so technically he _could_ just dump her somewhere safe where her father could pick her up.  
And at the sound of Peter laughing yet again, Saal began to consider whether he should dump him with her too.

-

After the meal, Garthan fled back to the cockpit, taking the first shift on watch so that when it became his time to rest, Peter could inform him that Guida had fallen asleep in her room.  
“Right. Ok then.” Saal got up from the pilot seat. “Just a good sleep and then we should be blissfully close to handing that girl back to her father.”

Peter smirked. “She's alright.”

“You're just saying that because she likes you.”

Shrugging, Peter nudged his shoulder against Saal as he passed by him. “The girl's got good taste.”

Garthan didn't deign to answer. He merely made his way to their sleeping quarters, dropped down on the bed fully clothed and was asleep within minutes.

He dreamed of buildings collapsing, sirens wailing, the ground shaking and loud explosions.  
Saal's eyes opened wide once he realized he wasn't dreaming.  
Jumping out of the bed, he grabbed a blaster and yanked the door open.

The ship was obviously under attack. The tremors were hits against the bulk and he could hear the pressure alarms blaring as the hull had been damanged.  
He had taken exactly one step into the hallway before he froze and hesitated.

To the left was the cockpit and Peter.  
To the right was Guida's room.

Another hit made the ship shudder like a wounded beast and sparks flew from the ceiling.  
Which way to go? His instincts told him to get to Peter. They were under attack and he had know, had to make sure, that Peter was okay. But his brain pointed out the fact that Guida was a defenseless child and unable to look after herself unlike the Terran.

Cursing, Saal went right and ran for the door to the girl's room. Tearing it open, he was surprised to find the bed and the room empty. Maybe she'd woken up earlier, before the attack, and gone to join Peter in the cockpit?

He was about to turn and leave, desperate to get to Peter, when he heard a faint sob.  
Was she hiding? There was only one place to hide in there.  
Garthan entered the room and kneeled down next to the bed. “Guida?” The ship shook again. He bent down to look under the bed. 

Guida was as far under the bed as possible, tears pouring from her eyes.

“Guida.” Saal repeated. “We have to go. I need you to come out from under there.”

She didn't move. Too scared. Merely shut her eyes tight when the ship shook once more.

“Guida. Please.”

That made her open her eyes again, at least, but she still wouldn't move.

Sighing, Saal forced his concern for Peter aside for the moment. He reached out his hand, palm up, towards Guida. “Listen, I know you're scared. It's okay. I promise you; I'm going to make sure nothing bad happens to you. You have my word.” 

Guida looked at his hand, then his face and his hand again. She sniffled.

“Take my hand, Guida. We have to go. I will protect you.”

Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand in his.  
Relieved, Garthan could finally help her climb out from under the bed and get up on her feet. “That's it. You're very brave, Guida. That's good. Now we are going to find Peter. Okay?”

She nodded, still crying but quietly and she had her focus on him.

About to walk through the doorway, keeping the girl behind him, Saal saw what was about to happen and had just enough time to spin around and drop to his knees, leaning over Guida and shielding her from the explosion in the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting against kidnappers and then Ego appears!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, for the record; I like Mantis, ok? It's just that... I don't really have room/need for her here, so yeah... she's not in this.

The explosion from the grenade was loud, adding more blaring fire alerts, and almost drowning out Guida's terrified scream.

Saal felt the heat and for a moment he had a flashback to being stuck in his ship while the flames crept closer, about to fall victim to Ronan's attack on Xandar and realizing how much he wanted to live! It threatened to take away his ability to breathe, but he forced himself out of it. No time for that now. He had to find Peter. Focus on the present.

Guida had latched on to his shirt with both hands, hiding against his chest, so he merely wrapped his left arm around her and lifted her as he stood, keeping the blaster ready in his right hand. Time to go.

There were the sound of voices. Someone had boarded the ship!  
“Hold on tight.” Saal told Guida, adjusting her a little and felt her small arms go around his neck and lock themselves there. They were not getting out of there without a fight it seemed.  
Was this pirates or had the kidnappers come after them?

Saal stepped out in the hallway, keeping his body between the girl and the intruders. There were small fires everywhere, making it difficult to see more than a meter ahead, but he fired his blaster at where he could see shapes moving through the smoke.  
At least two intruders fell, but it didn't take long before the remaining ones started shooting back.

Garthan darted over to the doorway on the opposite side of the hall, making sure to keep his body between Guida and the attackers.   
She had gone completely quiet, merely holding on for dear life and shivering hard.  
“You're doing great,” Saal said, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, holding her between himself and the wall, trying to determine how many intruders there were down the hallway. “You hear me, Guida? You're doing real good.” 

He stuck his right hand out and fired blindly down the hall a couple of times, forcing them to seek cover, before making a run for the stairway leading up to the cockpit.

The fire alarms were blaring crazily, the lights were flickering and there was the occasional computer warning on the speakers about damage to the hull and the danger of a breach.  
A burning pain in thigh told him he'd been grazed by a shot, but he kept running; even when he started up the stairs and felt a sharp stab from a hit to his back. He only paused at the top of the stairs to shoot at the shadowy figures a couple of times. The pressure of the situation made the Nova Force unbalanced within him; making it hard to control and keep his focus.

“We're almost there, Guida.” Garthan reassured her absently. He backed up to enter the cockpit, keeping a wary watch out for their attackers. “Peter?”

“Thank fuck you're here!” Peter's voice said.

Relief flooded Saal and he backed up enough to stand next to the pilot seat, his blaster still drawn and aimed at the stairs. “Where the bloody hell did these guys come from? What happened?” He dared to cast a quick glance at his partner.

Peter was fully focused on the ship's computer, fighting to keep it on course and starting up one emergency protocol after another to counter the damage done to the ship. “They snuck up behind us, hiding in our energy trail. I think it's those guys who kidnapped Guida. You got her, right?”

“Yep.” Saal absently hoisted the girl a little. “How bad is it?”

“Bad.” Peter made a face and flicked on the fire suppressants in the cargo area. “Those idiots are about to breach the hull and then we'll all get sucked into space.”

Garthan felt Guida's fingers twitch at that. He petted her back while considering their options.  
“Right then,” Saal mumbled, more to himself than anyone else. He turned and put Guida on the co-pilot seat.   
She refused to let go of him.  
“Hey...” He made her look at him. “You're safe here. With Peter.”

Guida shook her head, trying to pull herself up to him.

Saal made her sit down on the seat again, but crouched down to hold her hands between his. “I have to go and deal with these bad guys, Guida. Or they're going to hurt us all. Now, you need to stay here with Peter. Can you do that? Please?”

She hesitated, clearly reluctant, but eventually gave a slow nod.

Garthan nodded as well. “Good girl.” He straightened and was about to walk out of there when Peter's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of his wrist.   
Abruptly yanking him down into a hard kiss, Peter mumbled against his lips, eyes locked with his. “Be careful.”

Saal nodded.

Peter stole a second kiss, then let him go and focused on the computer again and the seven flashing warning lights he had to tend to.

-

It was damn difficult to stay seated while Saal went back to deal with the intruders. Every instinct screamed for him to go with him, protect him, keep him safe, but Peter knew that would be a moot point if the ship collapsed.  
Saal had the Nova Force at his command, was an experienced soldier, so he would be fine. Right?

Peter closed off one of the fuel tanks before it exploded, re-routed some of the ship's energy to keep the engines going and tried not to listen to the sound of blasters being fired.

A quiet sob caught his attention and Peter glanced over to see Guida curled up on the pilot seat, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs and face hidden to her knees, shoulders shaking as she cried.  
“Hey, kid.” Peter called out. “Hey.” He waited until she glanced up. “It's gonna be okay. Saal is a badass. I've seen him fight. These guys don't stand a chance. He'll be back soon and things will quiet down.”

Another light began flashing on the computer and he was forced back to his task of plugging the leaks in the ship. He just wished he could believe what he'd just told Guida too!

Waiting, hearing the fighting going on in the cargo hold, it was pure torture. Peter was pretty sure that being shot wasn't half as painful as this waiting. And yet, when it turned quiet; that was worse!  
At the sound of footsteps approaching, Peter got Guida's attention, motioned for her to keep low, and got his blaster ready. 

He had his finger on the trigger, ready to take out the threat, when Saal's voice could be heard.  
“It's me.”

Exhaling relieved, Peter lowered the blaster and got up from the pilot seat to greet him as he entered the cockpit. Saal's hair was uncharacteristically untidy, there were soot on his face and his clothes, as well as blood, but Starlord didn't hesitate to pull him into a tight hug. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Saal returned the embrace. “How's the ship?”

“We're limping, but with some repairs; she should make the trip back. They all dead?”

“Yeah.” Garthan did not sound happy about it. He released Peter and glanced down at Guida. “It's over now. The bad men are gone.”  
She got up to stand on the seat and flung her arms around Saal's neck, starting to bawl against his chest.  
Saal sent Peter a startled look, awkwardly petting her back.

Peter had to grin a little, but reached out to pat Guida's back as well. “I told you, didn't I, kid?”

Guida nodded, sniffling.

“Now you guys wait here, keep an eye on the computer for any more trouble, and I'll go check out the damage.” Peter reached out and carefully wiped away a streak of blood from Saal's cheekbone.

Saal frowned a little. “Now _you_ be careful.”

“Ain't I always?” Peter grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

“No.”

Laughing, Peter pointed to his earpiece which would activate his mask. “I'll be fine. You just make sure to be ready to close the door if the hull should rupture.”  
Guida hugged Saal even harder and Peter could have kicked himself for talking before thinking, as usual. Maybe he shouldn't add more nightmares to the ones the girl was already bound to have?

“We'll be fine.” Garthan tried to smile. “Just... hurry back.”

Peter nodded. 

There was severe damage to the ship, but luckily not so bad that it couldn't be somewhat glued together once Peter had detached the other ship; the very one they had gotten Guida from in the first place. Clearly Saal had been right. There had been a second crew, which had returned and then had decided to come after them and reclaim their payday.  
While it was tempting to take the blackmailers ship, Geu probably needed his own ship back and there was no immediate danger of it breaking down and sending them into open space.

Eventually returning to the cockpit after repairs and making sure the fires were out, Peter was both sweaty and covered in dirt. “Ok, we're good to go. I think.”

Saal nodded and started up all the engines. 

-

The rest of the journey back was tense, knowing they were easy prey with an already damaged ship, but it seemed like fate had messed enough with them for the time being. They were actually allowed to return and land without any big incidents.  
Garthan was relieved they made it back in one piece while Peter was thrilled that Guida had more or less adopted Saal since the battle and was eager to hassle him like there was no tomorrow for it. It was downright hilarious to watch as the uptight Centurion tried to keep his distance and how little the girl respected that. Yep, it was safe to say that Peter liked her!

It was also safe to say that Geu was happy to see his daughter again. Peter turned slightly away at the sight of father and child in a happy embrace, suddenly really feeling the loss of his mother and the absence of his father like an open wound, and he was grateful for how Saal respected his sorrow by not asking but instead reaching out and cupping his neck with his hand in a comforting gesture.

“How can I ever repay you?” Geu exclaimed, straightening with his daughter in his arms. “How can I ever...?”

Peter quickly buried any emotion and turned back to him with a smile. “Well, there are those units you were talking about...”

Saal squeezed his neck a little, a mix between affection and correction, before he lowered his hand and let Peter deal with it.

A man of his word, thank the gods, Geu actually had no trouble delivering on his promise and _that_ actually made Peter feel a bit better already! Having that chip with all those lovely units on it in his hands, yep, definitely feeling better now! Hell, they could even afford those upgrades on the Milano with this!  
A light tug on his jacket caught Peter's attention and he found Guida standing in front of him. 

“Thank you, Peter Quill. You're pretty cool.”

Peter grinned. “Yes. Yes, I am.” They exchanged the high five they'd practiced on. “And you're very welcome, kid. Take care, yeah?”

Guida nodded. Then turned to Saal. “You're pretty cool too.”

Garthan shifted his weight uneasily. “That's... thank you.”

“You just need to get that stick out of your ass,” Guida finished.

Geu gasped. Saal spun around to glare at the only one who could've taught her that; Peter Quill.

Peter cleared his throat. “Right. Okay. Time to go.” He shoved the chip in his pocket and gave Geu another smile. “Nice meeting you. Bye now.”  
Starlord didn't stop and wait for Saal until he was standing by the Milano. He braced himself as he saw the stormy look on Garthan's face as he was approaching. “Come on! How was I supposed to know she'd remember that?”

“Oh, I don't know, maybe because it is a crude thing to say? And something you shouldn't say to children, though I'd prefer it if you would stop saying such things all together.”

Peter made a face and shrugged.

Shaking his head, Saal sighed. “Let's just go. We're supposed to meet up with Gamora, remember?”

“With the amount of units we have, we need to find a good hiding place before we pick up Rocket and Groot too...”   
Peter turned and was about to enter the Milano when an unfamiliar voice behind him spoke;  
“Peter Quill. At long last.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Peter saw some fancy dude with a beard, slightly curly hair and very blue eyes. “Dude, do I know you?”

The man grinned widely. “No. But I'm hoping we can change that.” He gave a slight nod. “My name is Ego, and I'm your dad, Peter.”

-

Once the shock had settled, Saal glanced from one to the other, hoping one of them would crack and tell him it was a joke. He could never tell when Peter decided to do his so-called jokes. Because this was a joke, right?

Instead, Peter frowned and turned to face the man. “Okay... Sure. Long time, no see, dad.”

Ego laughed. “I've been looking for you for a long, long time, Peter.”

“And what made you find me now?”

“I doubt there are many in this Galaxy who has not heard of Star Lord,” Ego said, stepping closer.  
Saal automatically put his hand on the blaster, keeping a wary eye on him.  
“When I heard there was someone from Earth who could hold an Infinity Stone and survive, I knew it was you.” Ego was standing right in front of Peter now. “I'm guessing you already know that you're not merely human, Peter?”

Still clearly suspicious, Peter shrugged a shoulder and failed at appearing nonchalant. “So I've been told.”

Ego shook his head a little, staring at the Terran with something akin to wonder. “You are so much more Peter.” He smiled again. “I can show you.”

“Show me?”

“I have to return to my planet. Come with me and I will explain everything, Peter.”

Peter took a step backwards. “Yeah, no, I'm not so sure about that. I don't have a habit of running off with every weird dude who pops out of nowhere and claims to be my father.”

Garthan was inclined to agree with Peter's suspicions. It was just too good of a timing. And what were the odds of a meeting like this?   
But he would also have to be blind to not see the vulnerable touch of hope in Peter's eyes.

“You know I'm telling the truth,” Ego continued. “You can feel it.” He then gestured towards Saal. “Bring your friend. The more the merrier.”

Saal met Peter's look and merely gave a light shrug. It was his call. Garthan's mission in life was merely to support him and keep him safe, not make his decisions for him.  
Peter turned his focus back to Ego. “Tell me something only my father would know.”

Ego didn't waver, keeping his mild stare on the Terran. “Her name was Meredith Quill. The most beautiful woman I've ever known.” There was possibly the tiniest flicker of emotion as he added; “I called her my River Lily.”

That brought more turmoil to Peter's face and Saal felt an urge to shoot Ego for distressing him.  
Instead, he kept still and kept quiet while his partner made a choice.

Peter finally moved over to Garthan, half-whispering. “What do you say?”

“I say we do whatever you want to do.”

“It seems pretty crazy.”

“Yeah.” Saal forced himself to add the truth; “But we've also seen and experienced crazier things. Would you be able to live with yourself if you didn't find out whether the guy is speaking the truth or not?”

Peter sighed, rubbing the toe of his boot into the ground, staring at the mark he'd left. “What if he's lying?”

“Then he'll regret it.” Saal didn't hesitate with that answer. “He will sorely regret it.”

Looking up at him with a faint laugh, Peter then nodded. “Okay...” He turned to Ego again. “Okay.”

Ego straightened, smiling even wider. “Okay?” He glanced over at Saal.  
Saal nodded.  
“Okay!” Ego gestured to a white ship nearby. “This way. My ship will have us there within a day.”

Peter hesitated, then he followed.

Saal made sure the Milano was secured, then followed as well. “We're going to have to get a message to Gamora.” He was going to make damn sure she knew where they were, in case this did blow up in their faces. He was taking no chances anymore. Peter called him cynical, Saal called it being smart.

“You can use the communication system on my ship,” Ego offered, leading them into a ship made out of pure white and gold. It was so shiny and clean it made Saal feel like he was littering the place by just standing there.  
Garthan had a weird flashback to all the times he had to spend hours cleaning up Peter's mess on different ships. Could this really be Peter's father?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at Ego's planet

They didn't talk all that much on the journey. Ego spent a little time by the ship's controls, had a nap, but otherwise seemed content in letting silence reign. 

Peter was tense, listening to his walkman in order to soothe his increasingly frazzled nerves.  
Saal demonstratively did maintenance on his blasters and checked his other weapons as well. That seemed to finally catch Ego's attention.

Peter's so-called father sat up and sent him a curious look. “I heard Peter was traveling with Nova Omega. Is that true?”

To his irritation, Saal's hands faltered for a moment, caught off-guard, but he managed to regain his calm again. “Does it matter?”

Ego leaned back in his seat again, smiled _again._ “Not really.”

For some reason, an unnerving reason, Saal believed Ego truly meant that. He held Ego's gaze, absently reaching for the Nova Force and feeling relief when it was still there, still right under his skin. “Why an interest in Peter now, after all these years?”  
In the background, Peter reached down and stopped the tape in his walkman. 

“I told you; I've been searching for him ever since Meredith died.” Ego sighed. “I hired Yondu to bring him to me, but for some reason I've never been able to understand; he kept him instead.” 

“I can tell you why,” Peter said, his voice tinged with resentment. “Because I was a skinny little kid who fit into places where they didn't. Opened a whole new marked for stealing.” 

Ego blinked surprised. “He made you steal?” 

Peter shrugged. “It was either that or get a beating and go hungry.” 

“I'm sorry, Peter,” Ego said. “I thought I could trust him.” 

Pushing away some bizarre urge to defend Yondu even as he wanted to punch him for what he'd done to Peter, Saal reminded himself that he didn't know all the facts yet. Why had Ego sent Yondu and not gone himself? And if Yondu was such a horrible soul, why hadn't he sold Peter on to the slavers, as the Ravager himself had been as a child? 

Peter sighed and pretended to study his walkman. “He never even mentioned you. He just kept threatening to eat me.” 

“Eat you?” Ego sounded genuinely upset. 

Giving a faint smile, Peter did not look up from the walkman. “Welcome to my childhood.” 

“I can't undo what Yondu did...” Ego got up and walked over to the window on the left of the ship. “But I can give you a future, Peter.” He gesticulated towards the window. “Welcome home.” 

Saal got up as well, following Peter over to the window, and the two glanced out at the planet they were approaching.  
It was truly a glorious thing and even more impressive the closer they got. 

“This is yours?” Peter asked, breathless and with no small amount of awe. 

“It's no bigger than Earth's moon,” Ego made an effort at sounding modest and failed, “but it is mine.” 

They were greeted by beautiful nature, of amazing structures and countless colors. A thing conjured up from a dream made real.  
Saal forgot his suspicions and stared at their surroundings in wonder. 

“What am I?” Peter asked, looking over at Ego. “What are you?” 

Ego smiled. 

\- 

Gamora had barely been able to restrain herself from punching something, or someone, after she'd gotten Saal's message. She'd been having a shitty weekend and now she was stranded on the damn planet until either Rocket and the others could pick her up or she hired a ship.  
Why would Peter and Saal believe the word of some random stranger and then agree to follow him to his homeworld? The chances of this guy actually being Peter's father, she didn't even bother to do the math, it was so absurd. 

Heading to the docks, Gamora glanced around at the ships there and weighed her options.  
She had narrowed it down to three ships when she was interrupted. 

“Lookie here! If it isn't Miss Thang!” 

Gamora closed her eyes for a second, wondering what god she had pissed off to make her already bad day worse, before she turned to face Yondu Udonta. She put on the most fake smile she could muster. “Yondu.” 

He made a grand gesture of bowing, finding himself far more hilarious than what he had any right to. “What you doing here, girl? What are those two boyfriends of yours up to?” 

Gamora lifted an eyebrow, meeting his gaze coolly, knowing better than to trust the Ravager. “What's it to you?” 

Yondu made a mock-gasp of hurt, placing a hand to his heart. “And here I thought we were friends and all. I mean, we parted on such good terms last time, remember?” 

She remembered. That didn't mean she trusted him. Gamora kept her cool gaze on him. 

Yondu let his hand drop and laughed. “Fine. That's fine. I think it's sweet how you are protecting them and all. It's true love, darling.” 

“What are you doing here, Yondu?” 

Yondu sighed and looked over at the docks. “Getting some work done. Acquired a fine, new ship as payment, but it be needing some slight repairs.” He turned back to her. “Peter here?” 

Gamora hesitated, but finally shook her head. “No. No, he and Saal are checking something out.” She registered how Yondu merely accepted the explanation and didn't dig further, deciding he was only mildly curious and possibly interested in talking to Peter, so she went to dig a little herself. “During all those years, you never heard anything about who Peter's father was?” 

Yondu tensed. He tried to hide it, but didn't do a very good job at it. Even his effort at a nonchalant tone in his voice failed miserably. “Why?” 

“The people on Xandar discovered through genetics that Peter's father wasn't Terran. In fact, he was something else entirely. I think it's surprising that you never suspected or knew anything.” 

Yondu shook his head and took a step closer, almost towering over her. “No, I mean; why you asking that now?” 

Gamora clenched her jaw and lifted her face, showing him how little he frightened her. “Do I need a reason?” 

“You ain't the kinda gal who do anything without a reason.” 

Tilting her head with a touch of spite, Gamora wondered if Yondu was jealous of the thought of Peter finding his biological father. “Because some guy turned up and claimed to be Peter's father.” 

Yondu frowned, his eyes a little too sharp. “Do you know his name?” 

“Ego.” 

It was like she'd slapped him. Yondu straightened abruptly, a look of... something on his face, which he quickly hid by turning away from her. He went utterly quiet. 

“What?” Gamora was the one to push him this time. “Do you know who he is?” 

Yondu didn't answer for a the longest time, then he turned back to her. “We gotta go get him. If it's not too late.” He stalked off. 

Gamora automatically trotted after him. “What are you talking about? Peter? We gotta get Peter? Is he in danger?” The tight expression on Yondu's face said he was. “Yondu, answer me. This guy, Ego, he's not Peter's father, is he?” 

“Oh, he is.” 

“He is?” Gamora felt the shock slap her like the back of a hand to the face. “You knew,” she whispered. “You knew all the time who Peter's father was.” 

“Yeah, I knew,” Yondu said, “I knew Peter would only be safe far, far away from that guy.” 

More pieces fell into place for Gamora. “You didn't just kidnap a random child back then, did you?” 

“I was hired by Ego to fetch Peter and bring the kid to him.” 

“Why didn't you?” 

“Because the guy is a jackass.” Yondu halted in front of a ship, his new ship, looking thoughtfully at it. “And because people who go to Ego's planet have a tendency to never be seen again.” 

\- 

“Celestial...” Peter's voice was tainted with disbelief and joy behind him as Saal got comfortable on the bed in the room Ego had assigned to them. 

After showing them around in his living area, palace-like in every way, Ego had wanted to speak with his son privately and Saal backed off once he'd instructed Peter to be careful and not hesitate to call him if something bad happened. After that, he'd waited in the room and could only relax once the Terran joined him.  
Peter's face was slightly flustered and he seemed genuinely happy so Saal allowed himself to feel how tired he was and crawl into bed, leaving the Terran to pace around in the room and switch between talking to himself and talking to Saal. 

“I mean, I've seen Knowhere, but...“ Peter gestured wildly as his words failed him. 

Saal smiled a little, eye-lids lowering, hands folded behind his neck, and half-asleep now. Even the beds were perfect on this planet. “Figures you'd find ancestry to match with your self-image.” 

Drifting off, he didn't hear him move, but Garthan certainly felt when Peter straddled him and glanced up at the smirking Terran. 

Peter rolled his hips a little to add pressure where it was bound to wake at least certain parts of Saal up. “You know...” His grin widened. “Technically, this makes me a god.” 

Garthan hummed his agreement, keeping still, but feeling a smile of his own creeping back. 

“Does this mean you're going to worship me?” 

“I have been doing that for quite a while, Peter.” Saal finally let his hands move to rest on Peter's thighs, absently running a thumb over the muscle he felt there. 

Blinking a little surprised, Peter then recovered and held his hand forward for Garthan to see. “Check this out.” He focused and suddenly there was a flare of white light between his fingers. 

Saal studied it for a moment, feeling how it was only the teeniest fraction of what Peter would be able to control given time and guidance. It was truly the light of gods. He gently touched the outside of Peter's hand, careful not to make any contact with the light, but strangely drawn to it. “This is Ego's power?” 

“Yeah.” Peter played a little with the light before letting it vanish. “It's why he has to return to the planet regularly. With this, there is so much I can do, Garthan.” 

The Nova Force felt irregular and twitchy in the presence of the light, but Saal ignored it. He lowered his hand to Peter's thigh again. “You were always able to do great things, Peter. You don't need super powers for that.” 

“It does make things a little easier, though.” 

“Not always.” 

Peter made a face as he remembered the Nova Omega incident. “Yeah... I see your point.” Then he rolled his hips again and the grin returned to his face. “With me being a god, you're going to have to do as I order from now on, Garthan. It's the law.” 

Saal snorted a laugh. “No.” Not bloody likely. 

“Yes.” Peter leaned forward, stole a soft, lingering kiss. “So shut up and get naked.” 

Okay, that was one order he could obey.  
He had also no trouble being pushed back against the pillows and letting Peter run the show, but his restraint and obedience was put to a hard test when the Terran proceeded to ride him like he had all the time in the universe. 

Usually the first round was always a quick thing, something to take the edge off, but now Peter drew it out, savored every shudder behind closed eyes and smooth movements. He clenched and unclenched, made sure Saal would hit that spot that made the breath hitch in the Terran's throat and would not be persuaded to move faster. It was sweet, glorious torture that went on and on... 

Garthan was tense to the point of shivering beyond his control when Peter finally opened his eyes, leaned down and gave him a breathless kiss, speaking against his lips: “Now.” 

A single word, a command, and Saal had no choice but to obey. He shut his eyes tight. The release hit him like a punch. He vaguely heard and felt Peter shuddering through his own climax. And it left Saal light-headed and exhausted once he came back to his senses. 

Peter was slumped on top of him, catching his breath, humming quietly with mindless bliss. 

\- 

While they both fell asleep pretty fast after that, Saal woke up again after a couple of hours.  
Peter was curled up under the sheets, using Garthan's stomach as a pillow as usual, and all seemed peaceful and quiet. 

So why was Saal's heart racing and his skin tingling with discomfort? 

He tried to persuade himself it was nothing, but in the end, knowing he'd get no more sleep, the Centurion carefully slipped free from Peter's grasp and got out of bed. >  
He pulled on his pants and his undershirt, then his shoes, before he quietly made his way out on the balcony of the room.  
Maybe some fresh air would help? 

Standing there, looking at the beautiful view, Saal knew he would probably not see a more gorgeous place in his life time and STILL he couldn't calm his inner self.  
Why? What was wrong? 

Old investigative skills kicked in and he started to analyze the situation. At least the quiet enabled him to think in peace! And one heartbeat later, it hit him; that was it. That was what was wrong.  
It was _too_ quiet. 

There was not a single animal sound. Nothing moved. No rustling of trees. Even the distant rivers were quiet. It was like the planet itself was asleep. 

Glancing over at Peter's sleeping form, Garthan debated with himself whether to wake him or not. But wake him and tell him what? -Hey, it's too quiet, nothing is wrong but it's creeping me out.  
Ego hadn't put any restrictions so technically Saal could have a look around without troubling Peter, right? Saal hesitated, but knew he would have to snoop a little or he'd go crazy in this silence. 

The palace-like building Ego resided in was as beautiful as the rest of the planet, but it was so clean, so tidy, so... soulless. Peter had said Ego had created this place 'a bazillion years ago' so why did it look like no one was living there? Sure, Saal himself enjoyed a clean house, but this was too much. 

Still, eerie as the place was, he could find nothing wrong. Saal was just about to resign himself that it was nothing but paranoia when he had come to a halt just outside the building itself and saw the tiniest proof of wear. From the stairs, leading away and behind the building, were signs of a path.  
This time he didn't hesitate, but decided to follow it. 

His unease tripled when the path lead into a cavern, but Garthan kept going. 

It was only when he stood at the edge of a cliff and was staring down at a mind-defyingly large pile of skeletons that he felt genuine fear. This was a mass-grave! 

He had to tell Peter! Saal was about to turn around when something gave him a hard push. 

Flailing for a moment, Garthan could have sworn time slowed down, allowing him to realize how big of a mistake he'd just made by going alone, but then he lost balance and everything sped up again as he fell through the air. 

He landed on the pile of skeletons, hard, hearing old bones and his own break. His mouth opened to cry out in pain but the air was slammed out of his lungs. It became a carousel of pain as he rolled down the mountain of remains, sharp edges tearing at his very flesh. 

When he finally came to a painful halt against the ground next to the skeletons, Saal was a trembling mess of broken bones and bleeding wounds. His head was spinning and screaming with agony. 

The Nova Force rose within him, spreading under his skin and healing his wounds to keep him alive, and finally Saal was somewhat able to think. What had just happened? 

“The Nova Force is quite interesting.” A voice said. Ego. There was the sound of footsteps as he came out of the shadows to stand in front of Saal with a thoughtful look on his face. “It's different from my Light, but I think I can have use for it.” 

Struggling up on his feet, still dizzy and unstable, Garthan wiped blood from his face and glared at the man. “You killed them all?” 

Ego sighed regretfully, gesturing to the bones. “Do you know how rare it is to pass on the Celestial gene? Every single one of my offspring has been a disappointment.” He let his hand drop and smiled to Saal. “Every one until Peter.” 

Saal shook his head, realizing what this meant. “Whatever you got planned, I'm not going to let you use him.” He channeled the Nova Force to his hand, ready to fight. “Now get out of my way. We're leaving.” 

Ego just kept smiling. 

“Fine.” Saal stalked forward, willing to punch his way through Peter's father if that was what it took to save Peter. He heard the sound of rocks falling or moving, but was not prepared for a giant light tentacle shooting up from the ground and wrapping itself around him. 

“I can't let you do that.” Ego said, mildly. “I need Peter. He's the one who can help me save the universe.” 

Saal tried to squirm in the grasp of the Light, but it was impossibly strong and he gasped for air as he could feel it burrowing into the Nova Force; leeching it out of him. He panicked. “NO!” But the more he struggled, the more he summoned the Nova Force, the weaker he became. 

By the time Ego turned away, going back to his son while whistling a jaunty tune, Garthan Saal was quiet. His eyes were closed, his head hanging low and his skin was almost grey. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Ego

“Rise and shine, Peter!”

Ego's voice snapped Peter out of his lovely dream where he was a universally acknowledged god and worshiped with Garthan by his side. He blinked confused and groped for his partner. “What?” The bed was empty, which made him far more awake than Ego's voice. Sitting up, rubbing his eyes, he glanced around the room but only saw his father and no Saal. “What's going on?”

“We need to talk,” Ego said with a smile.

Considering how much talking they'd been doing for hours yesterday, Peter was a little surprised the man could still have stuff on his mind. “Uhm...” He tried to shake his mind fully awake. “Sure. Lemme just get dressed and... Where's Saal?”

Ego winked at him. “You get dressed. I'll wait for you where we spoke yesterday.”

Peter nodded, more than a little confused. Once his father had left the room, Starlord got up and got dressed. He saw Garthan's jacket on a chair, but no sign of the man himself. Strange...  
Making his way to the room with all the circular doodads where they'd done their talking the day before and he'd gotten the story of his father's origins, Peter was struggling with a faint feeling of unease. It was weird.

Ego brightened at the sight of him as he entered the room and ushered him closer. “Let me show you what I was talking about yesterday. Let me show you how you can truly save the universe.”

The unease lessened the more he listened to his father and soon Peter was staring up at the image of the universe Ego had conjured up and watched as he explained how the two of them could right all the wrongs by giving the lost souls a new beginning. Peter was amazed that he could play such an important role. Fighting against Ronan he'd saved the universe from one crazy person, but now he could help everyone once and for all. With Ego's plan, there would be no suffering, no wars, just... peace and beauty.

It was becoming harder to think. It was a bit like being drunk without the cheerful feeling.  
If he just listened to Ego's voice, he didn't have to worry about anything.

The Light was coming to life in his veins, filling him with unlimited power and unlimited possibilities.  
It was so easy to sink into the Light...

There was a loud explosion as the doors to the room flew open and off their hinges and it snapped Peter back to reality. He stared in mute surprise when Gamora and Yondu stepped into the room; armed to the teeth.

“Peter!” Gamora sounded relieved. “Are you okay?”

Peter frowned. “Yondu... What are you doing here?”

The Ravager kept his weapon aimed firmly at Ego. “Saving your hide. Again.”

What?

-

Ego lifted his hands in an amiable gesture. “Now, now, Peter is here of his own free will. You've kept him from me long enough, Yondu.”

Peter felt anger flare up. “Yeah. I'm not so easy to kidnap away from my family now.”

Yondu clicked his tongue. “Thought I'd taught you better than this, Peter.”

Peter opened his mouth to give a harsh reply, but Gamora spoke first.  
“Peter, where is Saal?”

Startled, Peter realized he'd forgotten all about finding out. His anger evaporated and he frowned confused. “I... I don't know.” Slowly glancing over at Ego, he had a horrible feeling he _did_ know. “Where is he?” Peter whispered.

Ego sighed with regret, shaking his head a little. “Peter. You are a Celestial. A god. We have a bigger purpose. Our life's purpose.”

Sick worry rolled around in Peter's stomach.

“You loved him. I loved your mother. But we all have to sacrifice some things for the greater good.” Ego sounded genuinely sad, and maybe he was in his own way.

“Where is he?” Peter repeated, his voice barely a whisper now.

“We have to continue our work, Peter. We can't be distracted. Your mother... I visited her three times, and I knew if I went a fourth time I would never leave.” He closed his eyes briefly. “But it _killed_ me to plant that tumor in her brain.”

Peter snapped. He acted before he knew what he was doing; pulling both blasters and firing away at Ego. “You killed my mother.” The image of his mom dying in that hospital bed flashed before his eyes and he kept shooting. “YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!”

Yondu and Gamora exchanged looks, shrugged and joined in.

Between the three of them, it didn't take long before Ego was obliterated. Peter slowly lowered his blasters when there was nothing more to shoot at, breathing hard and fighting against tears.  
For a moment, there was nothing but silence, an overwhelming silence, but then Yondu stepped forward. “Come on. We gotta get out of here. You don't kill a Celestial that easily. We'd better mosey before he comes back.”

Peter shook his head, holstering his blasters. “Not yet.” He held himself together through pure force of will. “I have to find Saal first.”

Yondu shook his head. “I'm sorry, kid, but you heard Ego. He's gone.”

“No.” Peter knelt down and placed his hands against the floor. “He took my mother from me. He doesn't get to take Saal too.” And strangely enough, the Light responded willingly to his summon and reached out sensors to find Garthan Saal. Moments passed, then Peter glanced over at the other two. “He's underground.”

Gamora hoisted the massive gun she was holding. “You sure?”

Peter nodded and straightened. “Yeah. And I'm going to get him.” He didn't wait for them, merely marched out the door and in the direction of where he'd felt Garthan's presence.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Peter stared down at the mountain of skeletons with absolute dread when Yondu and Gamora caught up with him.   
Yondu cursed at the sight, his voice shaking. “That's what he did to them. That's why they disappeared. He hired me to bring his babies to him, but I didn't think...” He'd suspected something was wrong, but he hadn't known, not for sure, which was the flimsy excuse he had always used to live with what he'd done in the past. 

“That's why you never brought me to him,” Peter said in a numb voice.

“Where is Saal?” Gamora asked, hoping to making them focus on something else instead of the horrible display.

It worked. Peter turned away from the mass grave and pointed to a barely visible path in the darkness. “This way.”  
Stepping further and further down into the darkness, neither spoke, but they all feared they would hear Ego's voice at any moment.

Finally reaching the bottom of the path, Peter turned left and started walking back towards the pile of skeletons. And there, in front of them, wrapped up in a strange combination of rocks and the Light up to his neck, was Saal. His eyes were closed, his head hanging forward and he showed no signs of reacting to their arrival.

-

For a moment, Peter couldn't move. He merely stared, mute with horror, and tried to will it all to be a horrible dream. A nightmare.

Yondu's voice shattered the silence. “He dead?”

Peter snapped out of his frozen state to give Yondu a glare. “No.” He stepped forward, stopping by the base of the rock and light pillar that had engulfed Saal. “Ego is doing something to him...” Reaching out and placing a hand against one of the rocks, Peter drew a shivering breath. “He's draining him... Using him like an energy source for something.”

“So,” Yondu drawled, “not dead _yet_?”

“Boys, boys,” Gamora snapped, “argue later. Get him down and let's get out of here.”

Peter focused channeling as much Light as he could into one hand and he began to push against the pillar; gently at first before increasing the pressure. He could feel the energy of the pillar pushing back, but kept challenging it. He was NOT leaving without Saal.

There was no warning before the pillar suddenly shattered, which meant Peter caught the falling Saal more by reflex than anything else. But once he had him close, Peter turned the Centurion to look at his pale face. “Saal, hey, are you okay?”  
To his immense relief, Saal gave a faint groan.  
“I need you to look at me, big boy. Come on.” Peter gave him a gentle shake. “Open your eyes. Please.” No reaction. If it hadn't been for how he could feel Saal breathe, he would have thought he was dead. 

A low rumble was heard before the ground began to shake.

“He's here.” Yondu said, looking around the cavern and raising his gun. “I told y'all it wouldn't be that easy to kill that jackass!”

Gamora got ready for battle as well. “We need to get out of here.”

Tentacles of light and stone, similar to the one that had been coiled around Saal, shot up from the ground. They seemed to scent the air, searching for their prey, determined to make sure that no one left there alive.

Peter looked down at Garthan again, gathering his courage and taking what he hoped wouldn't be his last look, then shifted his gaze over to Yondu. “I need you to get him out of here. I'll stall Ego.”

Yondu scoffed. “Are you crazy? I ain't leaving you here to die.”

Smiling a little, realizing Saal had been right all along when he claimed that Yondu cared, Peter still didn't relent. “Listen, you did teach me better. You taught me to survive, Yondu. And I'm trusting you with Saal, okay. You realize what that means? I'm trusting you to get him out of here.”

Yondu hesitated, a thousand emotions and unsaid things battling inside him, but finally he nodded and came over to hoist Saal over his shoulder.   
Gamora kept her stare on Peter. “You sure about this?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.” He straightened. “Get to the Milano. I'll catch up.”

“You better.” Gamora said, making it sound like a threat.

Pulling up both of his blasters, Peter gave her his most charming grin. “I'll be there.” 

And with that, he began to attack; shattering the rock and light hybrids, clearing a path for the others, even as new hybrids jumped up as quickly as he could destroy them.  
“You disappoint me, Peter.” Ego's voice rumbled through the cavern. “I wanted us to do this together! This is our purpose! I had that Xandarian child brought astray so we could meet and save everyone, not just her!”

Peter barely dodged a tentacle, destroying it will a well-aimed shot, and was relieved to see that Ego was in fact focusing on him and allowing the others to escape. “I will never forgive you for killing my mum, you turd!”

“Fine!” Ego roared. “Then I'll just use you as a battery, just like Nova Omega!”  
And that was when the battle really began.

-

Running towards the Milano, the ground was shaking and groaning. Rocks were falling from the top of the cavern. Gamora and Yondu both shot at anything aiming for them and neither tried to hide their relief when they were finally back up overground. 

Reaching the Milano, Gamora opened the hatch. “Hurry!”

“Don't get yer knickers in a twist!” Yondu snarled, getting on board the ship. He placed the still unconscious Saal in one of the passenger seats, securing him with the seatbelts and made sure he was still breathing, before making his way to the co-pilot seat himself.

Gamora was already firing up the ship, trying hard to focus on her task rather than to watch as the ground above the cavern was cracking and pillars of smoke were emerging. “Ready?”

Yondu activated the weapons systems. “Go.”

The Milano had just lifted from the ground when tentacles of pure light burst through the ground around them and wrapped themselves around the ship.  
Gamora cursed as the Milano shook and groaned under the pressure of the tentacles, the hull threatening to give him, but no matter what she tried; they were unable to break free. Screaming with frustration, she slammed her palm against the radar.   
Yondu pulled out a small remote detonator from his jacket and stared at it.  
“No.” Gamora placed her hand on his bicep. “Peter is still down there!”

“I know.” Yondu said quietly. “But Ego is a damn Celestial. And Peter told me to keep the officer safe...”

The Milano shook again. Several lights began to blink crazily on the control panel.   
Gamora dug her fingers lightly into Yondu's arm, knowing what was the sensible thing to do and her heart still rebelling against it.  
The Ravager merely looked back at her, equally torn.

Neither of them saw the movement in the sky, but both jumped startled when the first shot hit them, or more precisely; one of the tentacles wrapped around the ship.

More shots were fired and the tentacles disintegrated, giving Gamora just enough time to take off with the Milano before new ones sprouted from the ground and barely missed capturing them again.   
“It's Rocket and Kevin Bacon!” Gamora exclaimed at the sight of the familiar ship. “They got our message!” She smiled at the sight of the raccoon waving at them.

Yondu was staring down at the crumbling ground instead. “Come on, kid...”

The two ships hovered as close as they could to the cavern where they could still shoot down the tentacles before they got a hold of them. Hovered and waited and hoped.  
Increasingly more and more of the ground surface was starting to break up and the flashes of light in the cracks told them the fight was still raging on down there.

“We have to help him,” Gamora shook her head a little. “We can't just wait here. He'll die.”

Yondu got up from his seat. “You wait here, with him, and I'll go get that one.”

There was a geyser of rocks when the largest tentacle yet sprouted from the ground, grasping for the small figure using his booster rockets to shoot up into the air. Peter had his mask on and was firing with both blasters at the tentacle, but the amazing thing was how both his hands and the blasters were glowing bright with the Light.

“Now!” Gamora ordered.  
Yondu pressed the detonator he was still holding in his hand.

Down on the ground, in the ship Yondu and Gamora had used to reach Ego's planet, a forbidden weapon that had cost Yondu more units than he'd ever care to admit was activated. The drill at the tip of it began to whirl and seconds later it had already dug through the ship and several meters into the ground.   
The Planetkiller had been designed to enter the core of smaller planets or moons and detonate to cause a fatal chain reaction.

Gamora aimed the Milano directly at Peter and could only pray that he would react fast enough.

He did.  
Yondu opened the hatch, reached out and yanked him inside the second Peter took his hand. “GO!”

Peter collapsed to the floor, shivering and gasping for air. His mouth tasted like blood, his body was battered beyond belief and he had never been this exhausted. Using the Light to battle Ego had taken its toll on him, but he was alive.

Yondu knelt down next to him as the ships raced towards space.

“Saal?” Peter asked.

“Alive.”

Relieved, Peter closed his eyes and drifted off, only distantly aware of Ego's scream as the Planetkiller exploded and tore Ego's brain apart. When the Light died in his veins and he was once again merely human, Peter could almost feel his mother's presence and he felt peace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end and the beginning

“I'm just saying y'all owe me a ship!” Yondu's voice brought Peter back from the darkness.

“We are NOT giving you Kevin Bacon! Forget about it!” Rocket shot back.

Groaning, Peter sat up. He felt like someone had used him for boxing practice and yet surprisingly well for a guy who had just kicked a god's ass. Looking around, he realized he was on a bed in some unfamiliar room on some unfamiliar planet. Huh.  
Yondu, Rocket and Drax were by the door. Gamora and Groot were seated by a table next to a window. Garthan appeared asleep on a bed not too far away from his.

Ignoring the others, Peter made himself get up and wandered over to sit next to Saal, taking his hand. “Hey... You awake?”

Saal's eyes opened and he gave a faint smile. “Yeah. Been waiting on you.”

His voice sounded faint. He was still horribly pale. Both made Peter uneasy. “Are you okay?”

“He drained me of my Nova Force. I'm running on fumes, but I'm not dying, Peter. Just... weak.”

Relieved, Peter leaned down and placed placed a dwelling kiss on his forehead. Only when he sat back up again did he realize that the room had fallen completely quiet.  
Looking over his shoulder, he saw everyone staring at him. “What?”

Rocket took a couple of steps towards him, shrugging. “You just discovered your dad was a Celestial, then that he was a grade A dick, then that he killed your mom and then you killed him.”

Peter considered the words for a moment, feeling Saal squeezing his hand a little, and shrugged as well. “It doesn't change anything.”

A thoughtful silence followed the words, then Rocket spun around to face Yondu again. “Anyway, you ain't getting Kevin Bacon!”

The fighting started up again. Gamora ignored it and merely sent Peter a fond smile. He returned it.  
No, nothing had changed. For a moment, Peter had been a god, a semi-god at least, but he was perfectly okay with returning to his old self. He had everything he needed in his life right there; love and family. And it felt more right to be human, like his mother, rather than Celestial like Ego. If being a asswipe was the price for immortality, he'd much rather be mortal, thank you very much!  
His gaze lingered on Yondu, now threatening Rocket with how he was going to eat him, and Peter knew he hadn't lost his father. He was right there.

The gods knew Peter's childhood had not been an easy one under Yondu's rule, but he'd turned out pretty okay, right? He'd been hungry, but he'd learned to defend what was his. He'd received more slaps than he cared to remember, but he'd learned that he was stronger than he thought. He'd learned how to fight and how to stay alive in a universe that was without mercy.  
And it hadn't been all bad. There were even times when Yondu had been kind. 

Maybe it hadn't been fair to compare Yondu to his mother, when she'd grown up in a loving household while Yondu had been sold as a slave by his own parents. Maybe... Yondu had done the best he could. It wasn't good, but as good as he was capable of.  
Peter cleared his throat. “You're not getting Kevin Bacon, Yondu.” He didn't wait for the Ravager to start threatening to eat him as well. “But I'm going to buy you a new ship.” 

The units he'd gotten from Geu was enough to buy a pretty decent ship.

“What?” Rocket shrieked.

Yondu stuck his thumbs into his belt and grinned with triumphant glee.

-

Without any warning, Saal pushed his shoulders back into the mattress and arched his back off the bed, gasping as his eyes turned white.

Peter stood up, startled, and everyone stared in horror as Garthan remained frozen in a bowed, shuddering position, but then Saal jerked and a horrible scream emerged from his throat just as a piercing light began to shoot from his eyes.

The intensity of the light kept increasing, not a pure white light as Ego's had been, but tainted with blue. It suddenly shot from Saal's hands and his mouth as well as his eyes, along with the scream.  
The scream kept growing louder and louder.  
The room began to shake. The windows shattered. Gamora grabbed Groot and dove to the floor to escape the shards. The others covered their ears.  
Garthan's scream was one of pure agony, overwhelmed and in pain and filled with unbearable grief.

“What the hell is going on?” Gamora yelled.

Peter struggled to maintain his balance. He stared with disbelief at what was happening.  
Saal jerked again and in a flash; his entire body was engulfed in the light. His scream still kept growing.

“He's going Omega,” Peter whispered, his words drowned in the mess of sounds. His big fear was coming true in front of his very eyes. Garthan Saal was turning into Nova Omega.

No. No, they had not survived what they'd just been through for this to happen. Peter refused to let that happen. He ignored the primal instinct to flee and approached Saal instead.  
Reaching out, he took his face between his hands, aiming to appeal to the man inside the monster, when he realized he could actually feel the energy under his touch.

Peter had no idea how he did it, but some Celestial part in him reacted and reached out for the power source. It was like reaching out to a wild creature, it latched on and it began to crawl up his hands, his arms, his neck... Peter's own eyes flared up as the Nova Force stabbed into him. It was like touching an Infinity Stone all over again.

It felt so different from the soothing, quiet Light. This was a billion voices of hurt, despair, sorrow and raw fury hammering away at him, screaming and clawing. Gods, the screaming. He'd never heard anything as horrible as this.

Peter gasped and barely held on to his own sanity, shivering under the strain, marveling at how it had been even possible for Garthan to return after going through this alone back then.  
“I'm here,” Peter managed grit out through the pain, still holding on to the other man. “I'm here.”

There was another wave of the Nova Force, almost battering Peter to the ground, but he managed to remain where he was against all odds and continued to share the fury of the Nova Force until, just as sudden as it had started, it stopped.

Heaving for air, shivering, Peter needed several seconds before he managed to gather his mind enough to actually function and then he found himself staring into Garthan Saal's glowing eyes.  
“They're dead,” Saal said, his voice sounding like a stranger's.

“Who?” Peter whispered, so exhausted he was barely able to speak.

“Everyone.” Saal replied. “He killed them all.”

That was when Peter realized who the voices had been. “Xandar is gone? How?”

“Thanos.”  
Gamora flinched while Drax tightened his hands into fists.

Saal continued; “And Earth is next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter, Garthan and the others will return to battle against Thanos in the new fic "Icarus Falling", along with Venom and the Avengers.


End file.
